Short bowel syndrome (SBS) is a devastating disorder for which no satifactory treatment options are currently available. The long-term goal of this project is to apply recent advances in tissue engineering to develop a neointestine that will restore lost intestinal absorptive capacity in patients suffering from SBS. A promising prototype has already been developed. The hypotheses underlying this proposal is that fundamental differences in epithelial biology distinguish native from engineered intestine and that an understanding of these differences will yield strategies for optimizing form and function in the neointestine. The aims are as follows:A. To conduct a systematic comparative analysis of epithelial biology in native and engineered intestine.B. To identify factors that modulate form and function in the engineered intestine. The results of this project may have a decisive impact of the treatment of SBS.